Botox and depression – soften those fine lines and your mood?
We all know that botox has more than proven its ability to remove expression lines which form on the forehead, glabellar lines (between the eyebrows) and crows feet in addition to stopping hyperhidrosis or excessive sweating and easing the often debilitating pain associated with chronic migraines. Recently of course it has been approved for other medical conditions such as muscle dystonia (uncontrollable contracting), incontinence and misalignment of the eyes -but can this wonder drug really treat depression?
Rewind back to the glabellar or the area between the eyebrows which is probably the most commonly treated of the three upper botox face areas and think how your face appears when you are angry or upset. And yes its the glabellar area which will take the hit as your brows furrow. More often this leaves people feeling forlorn as they look forlorn sometime after the feeling has left. I am sure we have all looked in the mirror after a particularly challenging day either at work or at home and felt that this is actually visible on our face – feel haggard look haggard and so the cycle begins.
This is not in itself a new phenomenon either, the glabellar/depression correlation dates back to the Victorian era and was referred to as “the omega sign of depression” – the sign for omega resembles the number 11 much the same as those furrowed brow lines. As botox will temporarily also freeze movement there is an argument that by stopping frowning the chain between negative feelings and facial expression is broken which will also help to alleviate the association of one and the other. People also report a post therapeutic boost after treatment again combating negative feelings – something as banal as feeling like you are actually doing something to actually help improve your mental health.
With all things it is down to the individual but if it makes you feel better and look better then why not do it!